5 Best Books Of Arun Shourie: How Many Have You Read?

We book lovers know Arun Shourie the writer better than Arun Shourie the politician, don’t we? Apart from being a politician, he is also an acclaimed journalist (he has been the editor of Indian Express and The Times of India), economist (served the World Bank) and writer. His best sellers cover a wide range of topics and themes and stories and it is definitely a treat to read books written by him. Here are 5 of the best books of Arun Shourie which you may want to go through at least once:

5. Does He Know a Mother’s Heart

This is one of the most famous books by Shourie – with reason. It is the ever-asked question posed by him again – why is there so much suffering in this world if there is a compassionate and kind God? Surely not something very easy to figure out, no? You may have read a zillion words on this but this book is special in its own way. Shourie attempts to answer such fundamental questions by going through several religious writings; you will really like the way he approaches the subject. The narrative is also a personal account of a father whose son Adit was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a husband whose wife is a patient of Parkinson’s disease. It’s a must-read.

4. A Secular Agenda

The name is an indicator of the content of this book. You guessed it right; it’s a treatise on India and it’s nasty, never ending problems. How much of a secular country is India – we must have given this a thought once or twice. Indian politicians, according to Shourie, practice a form of ‘pseudo-secularism’ which he finds very disgraceful and damaging in entirety. What really makes a Nation and other related issues are discussed in great detail in ‘A Secular Agenda.’ There are many who think the nation or the concept of India as a nation is banal – Shourie offers some interesting counter views on this. Issues relating to India’s neighbours are also discussed in great detail.

3. The World of Fatwas or the Sharia in Action

Here we find Shourie writing about the agitated state in which Muslims in India live today. It is not an account which you might consider to be propaganda to get Muslim votes for the party; it looks more like a genuine concern for eradicating the religious evils that found their way into Islam. He particularly criticizes the concept of the fatwas and openly regrets its power in denigrating the faith of the Muslims. The book also focuses on several important issues relating to the plight of Muslim women.

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2. Falling Over Backwards: An Essay Against Reservations and Against Judicial Populism

Reservation of seats in colleges, universities and on the job front is an issue which deserves attention. Some derive benefit from it, some make use of it and some completely loathe it. Arun Shourie, in this book, traces the evolution of reservation in our Constitution and tries to dissect it word by word. You can get to know a great deal about our Constitution and the judicial problems faced by India. Shourie examines the system of reservation and cites certain examples which will show you the ingrained absurdity in the whole system. The fact that things will take a downturn if not rectified is the essence of the book. Give it a read to know about the national problems that remain unsolved to this day.

1. Worshiping False Gods

This is the most controversial of the lot, and boy, does that word attract us! The book is mainly about B.R. Ambedkar and how he had been given a higher position in India than what he deserved. This book is a favourite among people who hold Ambedkar responsible for the prolonged stay of the British in India. The fact that he is accepted as the architect of India is negated and Shourie portrays how he ventured on a social reform system which was completely opposite to that of Gandhi. The evolution of the Constitution of India has also been traced in the book. It’s time to move over best-sellers now!